


Still Waiting

by Helthehatter



Category: The Last of Us, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: And yes it will be sad, Angst, Budding Romance, F/M, Friendship, Judy is obivously her canon age in this, Just not as sad as I plan it, Just one Oc, The Last of Us AU, Tough choices, Zombies, Zootopia - Freeform, tragic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2018-09-07 05:30:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8785054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helthehatter/pseuds/Helthehatter
Summary: Nick Wilde has lived with the deadly Cordyceps destroying his world for years, and has learned to more or less cope as a sarcastic and cynical smuggler.But when he's paid to smuggle a rabbit who is apparently immune to the deadly disease he ends up on a cross country adventure of danger and betrayal, Nick starts to remember something he would rather forget: he remembers to care.





	1. It's Going to be Okay

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not officially starting this series until I finish Ringless but I wanted to go ahead and post the prologue.

It was only fitting that Nick Wilde's terrible day ended with the beginning of the apocalypse.

He had only been eight, walking side by side with his teenaged brother, Rick. The darker fox's night blue eyes watched his baby brother with worry and love, his eyes glowing in the dark of the deserted street.

The glassy eyed fox kit rubbed at his muzzle, he could still feel the cold metal digging into his flesh. He could still hear the cruel laughter ringing in his ears, he doubted he'd ever stop hearing it.

"Nick..." his brother's voice was a concerned breath, clouding before his snout as the temperature dropped along with the sun. "Talk to me."

Nick furiously shook his head, hot tears streaming down his cheeks. There was no point, no point for what had happened, no point in talking about what had happened. And the kit would never, _ever_ , speak of it.

Rick squeezed his brother's small dark paw, Nick returned the squeeze. He may sometimes get angry at Rick and didn't believe he could cheer him up...but he loved his brother fiercely and was grateful he left his friends to come pick him up while their parents were at work.

"Wanna get a snack?" the older fox suggested. "It's only eight. We could grab some lizard jerky or blueberry ice cream, those are your favorites."

Nick nodded, it wouldn't remove the sting of metal but there was no point in going hungry.

But then a sudden scream split the air, sending Nick's fur on end. Rick immediately pulled him closer, Nick hugging his leg while Rick swiveled his ears and looking around the empty street that was suddenly menacing.

"It wasn't that close," Rick tried to be reassuring, wrapping his snow-tipped tail around Nick's waist. "I'll call someone to pick us up."

But Rick's phone started ringing as soon as he pulled it out of his pocket. "It's Dad," he said before answering: "Hey, Dad could you-what? Slow down...don't go home? ...I don't understand... Yes, Nick is with me. I-what? ...Yeah...yeah, I can do that." Something on the other line crashed loud enough for Nick to hear, Rick's tail bristled against kit's hip. "Dad what was that? Hello? Dad? _Dad_?" Rick let his paw fall, his fingers limply holding the phone. He looked lost staring at the dirty cement and appearing like a helpless new born.

Nick clutched Rick's pant leg and his brother met his eyes-and he was no longer lost. Instead he looked determined, brave, and the cold ice weighing in Nick's stomach melted. He had his brother with him, everything was going to be alright.

Rick stuffed his phone into his pocket before picking Nick up and walking at a fast pace down the street expression alert.

"Dad and Mom are going to meet us at the edge of town and then we'll...we'll figure out what to do next." He smiled at the kit, "Don't worry Nick, it's gonna be okay."

Nick held onto those words as he silently watched what happened next. First they were nearly run over by a van Nick recognized as Finnick. Out of all Rick's friends Finnick was the kit's favorite.

"Get in," Finnick's deep voice ordered and the two red foxes obeyed.

"What's going on?" Rick demanded as Finnick drove toward the edge of town.

"The hell if I know," Finnick snapped, "But I called Aggy earlier, she said her neighbor tore his family into pieces."

Rick cursed, Nick sitting between the two foxes accepting the comforting paw placed on his head. "Where is Aggy?"

Finnick shook his head, grinding his teeth together, "Her phone went dead, I can't reach her, I can't reach anybody."

He smacked his silent radio, "Newslady couldn't shut up a minute ago but now..."

The two teenagers kept talking as Nick looked out at the road ahead, they passed a few cars laden with supplies, the kit wished they could go hoem to pack some things. He had a feeling he wouldn't see it again for a long time.

"Shit," Finnick cursed as they turned and saw a massive traffic jam before them. "Everyone had the same damn idea."

"Do you see anyone we know?" Rick asked, eyes scanning the cars.

They then watched as a jackal stepped out of his car in front of them, yelling something at the vehicles ahead of them.

And then it happened.

A jaguar appeared out of nowhere, knocking the jackal onto the ground. Just as the jaguar wrapped his teeth around the victim's neck Rick shielded his brother while Finnick made a violent U-turn and sped down the opposite direction.

"Did you fucking see that!?" Finnick demanded, his fur bristling.

"I saw! I saw!" Rick replied, his voice rising in hysteria. He rubbed Nick's back while the kit tried not to cry into his brother's shirt. He couldn't unseen the blood pooling from that jaguar's fangs. Couldn't stop hearing the word _muzzle, muzzle, muzzle._

"We have to find a new way out of town," the fennec said, his large ears pulled back against his head.

"But my parents-"

"We have to get Nick out of here!"

The red fox audibly swallowed but nodded, holding his brother closer and the kit nuzzled his side. _It's going to be okay...it's going to be okay._

The van turned a corner and Finnick was forced to slow down, crowds of animals running through the street, screaming, crying, demanding to know wht was going on.

"You need to go faster!" Rick snapped.

Finnick's voice was a near hysterical growl, "I can't drive through them Ri-"

His words were cut short when a car suddenly slammed into the van's passenger side. Nick clutched his brother and shut his eyes as the van flipped, glass shattering and shards slicing his arms and legs. He whimpered.

When he opened his eyes the van had landed on its roof, he could make out paws and hooves running beyond the shattered glass.

Rick grunted beside him, Nick looked to his brother to see that his leg was stuck under the glove compartment.

"You okay?" Rick asked, teeth gritted and eyes glistening with pain. Nick nodded mutely, he realized he hadn't said a word since Rick found him in tears.

"Finnick?"

"I'm fine." The fennec crawled over to kneel next to Nick, there was a bleeding cut above his brow. "Can you move?"

"My leg's stuck," Rick tried to move said limb and hissed in pain.

"Hold on, I'll get you out," Finnick replied before screams and snarls split the air. Nick spotted a antelope fall to the ground, he let out a gasp of horror as a ram started to tear into the antelope's flesh, the animal screaming and thrashing before going still.

"Get Nick outta here!" Rick ordered.

Finnick shook his head, his expression torn, "I'm not going to leave you."

Suddenly the ram spotted the van and charged, slamming his thick head against the headlight. Rick and Finnick let out snarls of shock, the drooling bloody prey reaching it's hooves out toward Nick. The cold stone in his stomach soared and lodged into his throat and he couldn't breathe.

"Nick, move!" Rick screamed at him while Finnick kicked at the grasping hooves.

His brother probably meant get in the back of the van, away from the ram's reach but instead Nick crawled out of the driver's window and bolting across the street. he didn't see if the ram gave chase, he didn't hear if his name had been called, he didn't think how he abandoned his brother, probably his only family left. He just ran and ran and ran, past animals doing the same, past bodies, and the drooling bloody mammals that clicked but didn't notice him.

He came to a stop when the concrete ended and grass tickled his feet. He sucked in air, a painful stitch in his side, as he realized he had made it to the edge of town.

"Don't move!" a voice called and the fox's head shot up. A brown outfit in the uniform of some kind of soldier stood at the crest of a small hill. Nick felt a wave fo relief, the rabbit could help him.

The soldier was talking through an earpiece, Nick wasn't listening. He needed to remember where Rick and Finnick was, they could go rescue them, and find his parents.

"Sir, he's just a kit," the rabbit's voice brought Nick into focus. "But...yes, sir."

Nick's narrowed eyes bulged in terror when the rabbit lifted his gun and aimed it at the fox. Before Nick could fully grasp what was happening something tackled him to the side as the gun was fired.

He pulled his face out of the dirt-to see Rick lying a few feet away. Nick looked back at the soldier as he aimed his gun at the kit just before another shot rang out and the soldier crumbled to the ground. And then there was Finnick, holding a revolver between shaking paws.

It took Nick a moment to remember that Finnick had once showed him the revolver he kept in his glove box, telling him not to tell Rick.

_Rick._

" _Noo!_ " Nick screeched, desperately crawled over to his brother who pushed himself onto his back, revealing the blood staining his chest.

"No," Nick's voice was a broken sob, _"No_."

"It's okay," Rick reassured, his voice shaking as blood dribbled from his lip.

Nick buried his face in his brother's neck while Finnick watched on in horrified grief.

"You promised to get me a snack," Nick cried. "We s-still have to find Mom and Dad!"

"It's okay, Nick," Rick repeated his words, his voice fading, "It's going to be okay..."

Nick's brother, the only family he had left he was sure, exhaled...then went still.


	2. Welcome to Happytown

**24 Years Later**

Predators had never been the most popular of animals in the best of times, but when the virus spread the prey became even more paranoid. When the first quarantine cities came up they had separated prey and preds. But there was no keeping order in a chaotic world and many of those cities fell.

A few tried to keep themselves standing and one such place was Happytown, mainly predators a few prey could be seen scuffling around as, after all the years that had past, it was obvious species had nothing to do with the virus.

Nick Wilde, fully grown and passing his life as a smuggler, lived in said town. He walked up the steps of a dingy apartment that was being held together by the seams. Not many mammals lived in this building which was why the fox’s smuggling partner was so fond of it.

Reaching the second to top floor Nick found her door and opened it without knocking. Immediately he ducked his head, a swinging axe missing his skull by a hair.

“NICHOLAS!! Are you crazy why didn’t you knock!?”

The fox lifted his head, eyes going to the axe on a string that swayed behind him, and then turned to the camo-wearing badger in the apartment, “Because I thought your booby trap was broken.”

The badger snorted, “Well, of _course_ I fixed it. Who do you think I am?”

Nick let out a sigh and shook his head. He had met Honey when he was still basically a kit, she had helped Finnick give him as much as an upbringing as was possible in this day and age. And when Finnick left Nick stayed with the badger, the two becoming partners that smuggled weapons and ration cards and other miscellaneous items in and out of Happytown. And even though she was older Nick still felt like half the time he was the one who had raised her, “Honey, these traps are going to get you into trouble one of these days.”

“Oh you’re just saying that because you almost got axed in the face,” Honey replied with annoyance before turning abruptly and walking into her kitchen. “If it had been a clicker that opened that door it would’ve gotten hit by that axe and you’d be _praising_ me for my ingenious booby trapping.”

“Clickers can’t open doors,” Nick pointed out, walking after her and welcoming himself to whatever he found in the refrigerator.

“Fine, Mr. Logical No Fun,” Honey said as she sat down and continued to clean her gun. “Say it was a member of our competitions? He can open that door. And no mammal is faster than you so he’d definitely get axed.”

“Whatever you say, Sugar,” Nick chuckled, picking up a half empty bottle of alcohol. It didn’t have a label so he had no idea what it was. But the fox could’ve cared less, he downed it.

“But speaking of competition,” he began after burning his throat with the hard drink. “I got some bad news. You know those weapons Travis was supposed to deliver us?”

“You mean those weapons we almost had to sell our organs to get?” Honey looked up at him with narrowed eyes, “Yeah…what about them?”

“I just found out from some of his goonies that he sold them.”

As he expected Honey jumped to her feet with her fur on end, “WHAT!?”

“Calm down,” Nick tried but the badger was already pacing.

“We _bought_ those weapons they weren’t his to _sell_!” She stopped and swung her broad head to look at Nick, “Please tell me you at least made his goonies sorry for working with that ferret.”

“In a way,” Nick replied, then winced.

Honey blinked then stepped forward and grabbed the fox’s arm, bringing her muzzle only five inches away from his face. She saw the dried blood below his ear that his ruddy fur had done a good job of hiding.

“Are you alright?” her voice had gone soft, the motherly tone she had used back when he could barely hold a gun.

“I’m fine,” he assured her.

“Travis isn’t going to get away with this,” she growled. “No one gets away with treating you like that, Nick.”

“Honey,” he sighed again, “You know I’m not a kit anymore. I don’t need you to rip anyone’s throats out for me.”

When she just looked at him he smirked, “But I can’t say I wouldn’t enjoy seeing it.”

.

Travis liked to hide out in the heart of Happytown which was where Nick and Honey were heading. But first they had to pass through security, or at least what counted as security these days.

Grabbing the two packs of supplies Honey kept in her closet (which wasn’t much), and the two guns they _did_ have she and Nick left the apartment complex and walked a few blocks until they came across an electric fence.

“Do you think that thing is even on?” he asked as they walked by the fence on their way to the guarded entrance.

“I once saw a deer get fried trying to climb an electric fence,” Honey told him. “But I can’t remember if it was this fence or…a different one.”

“Ah,” Nick chuckled, “You’re losing your memories with your old age I see.”

Honey snorted and probably would’ve elbowed him if they hadn’t been so close to the fence. “I’m not that old. But I might as well be losing my memories. I already lost my mind years ago.”

A uniformed wolf and hog were standing by the entrance and as always Nick felt a twisting in his gut whenever he saw a mammal in uniform. But he kept his expression neutral as the wolf greeted Honey who showed their pass cards.

“Just visiting a friend,” she answered the pig inquiry as they slid the gate open. She and Nick had just passed through when a sudden explosion shook the ground.

Years of instinct had Nick ducking before he heard the bullets fire, the soldiers told them to go and the fox and badger didn’t waste not time. Keeping their heads down they ran to the nearest cover that was behind an old building that, just like most of Happytown, hadn’t been used in over a decade.

“Damn, Night Howlers,” Honey snarled when the world once again grew quiet. “You’d think they’d all be wiped out by now,” Nick commented.

Night Howlers were an organization that had formed a few years after the virus hit. While they often advertised how they planned on finding a cure that ninety percent of the world didn’t believe existed, they were mainly seen as thieves and terrorists. Nick wasn’t inclined to disagree. Of course, to himself he wouldn’t deny he was bitter to the group because they were who Finnick had left him for. And the stupid fennec didn’t even come back to him when he quit.

“No offense to rats but that’s basically what the Night Howlers are,” Honey stated as they continued on their hunt for Travis. “There will always be some of them. But if there out making trouble I really don’t want to take the usual way.”

“Wanna use our desperate path then?” Nick asked. “We’re near it.”

Honey groaned but nodded, “Better to be desperate than shot.”

Their ‘Desperate Path’ was a tunnel in the sewers and Nick was sure it had permanently damaged his sense of smell. But walking through thick water of rotten colors, he wasn’t so bothered about it.

“So what’s the plan when we find Travis?” Nick asked Honey.

“Oh I’m going to let Persuasion and The Rock talk to him,” Honey replied, holding up her fists. She turned her snout to her left fist, “Persuasion here knows how to get answers out of mammals. And if not-” she looked to her other fist-“The Rock never leaves without an answer.”

Nick let out a laughing breath, “Whichever gets us our weapons.”

Their playful conversation and mood evaporated instantly when a noise reached their ears. An echoing clicking sound that sent their fur on end and their hackles raised.

“You or me?” Honey asked.

“Save yourself for Travis,” Nick snarled his gun already in paw. “I need to shoot something.”

The tunnel had broken into three paths, hearing the clicking coming from his right Nick pressed against the grimy wall of the tunnel and waited his breathing steady and his gun arm ready.

The clicker appeared in a blur of motion but Nick was ready, pulling the trigger he hit the woodchuck directly in the head, sending in to the floor to twitch for a few seconds before going still.

Honey, not fazed, stepped forward to examine the corpse, “Poor son of a bitch, looks like he had turned only a while ago.”

Cordyceps, after infecting a mammal, slowly altered the infected’s appearance. Turning their eyes a sickly red and black and making them froth at the mouth, and to top if off a disgusting fungus would grow over the body. But since the woodchuck had not been infected for long his blank eyes had only just started to darken and become blood shot, froth flecking his lips.

“I don’t see any bite marks,” Honey informed him.

Nick was already pulling his gas mask out of his back pack, “That means there’s spores around. Better be safe than infected.”

“Can’t have any of that growing on me,” Honey joked as she donned her mask, “I have my good looks to protect.”

“Same,” Nick replied as the two continued on their way.

Honey made a noise that said she didn’t think Nick had much to worry about but before he could reply they made it to the tunnel’s exit and the fox all too eagerly crawled out into the sunset.

They had just pulled off their masks and turned the corner of an alley only to come face to face with Travis and his goons.

“YOU!” Nick and Honey snarled and the rodent knew exactly what their problem was. “Stop them!” he ordered the jackal and boar that accompanied him before turning around and dashing into the nearest building.

The jackal lunged at Nick before the fox could react, knocking him to the ground and trying to strangle him as Nick struggled underneath him. Realizing the jackal had no weapon Nick had to wonder at how unbelievably stupid Travis was, stealing their weapons and not even giving him to the cronies.

It was sad but Nick didn’t pity the jackal enough to not grab his gun and send a bullet through his jaw. But in his defense the jackal had done a fabulous job at strangling, leaving the fox gasping as he pushed the body off him.

Honey had subdued the boar easily, loving any chance to use her bat and whack the guy’s skull in.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Honey snarled as they hurried into the building Travis has vanished into him. “I’m gonna _fucking kill him_!”

Nick led the way up creaking steps, using what sense of smell he had left to track down Travis who had vanished to the top of a roof through a busted window. Sliding past the shattered glass Nick found Travis on the rooftop right before a bullet whizzed by his ear. Not wasting a second Nick lunged forward and tackled the ferret, sending them skidding across the roof to stop just before the edge.

Nick snatched the gun out of Travis’s paw and threw it to the side before grabbing the collar of his dingy shirt and forcing his head over the edge.

“Wait-wait-don’t!” the ferret begged, practically wheezing.

“We’ve missed you, Travis,” Honey said in an angry growl, grabbing the ferret’s gun before moving to stand by Nick.

“Look, I don’t know what you think I did this time but I swear I-”

“Our guns, Travis,” Nick interrupted him with his fangs bared. “We want our guns back.”

“Yeah okay, understandable. But ya see it’s complicated.”

Honey narrowed her eyes, “Throw him off the roof Nick no one will miss him.”

“No, lets hear him out, Sugar,” Nick responded with an unfriendly smirk. “I’m curious.”

“I-I sold them,” the ferret confessed. “AH-WAIT! STOP!” he screeched when Nick moved him forward so his head and shoulders hung over empty air. “I didn’t have a choice! I owed someone!”

“You also owed us,” Honey snarled. “And right now we’re here and that someone’s not.”

“I just need a little time,” he pleaded. “Give me a week.”

“You know I might’ve done that if you hadn’t just tried to fucking shoot me,” Nick growled. “Who. Has. Our. Guns?”

“I-I can’t say, just-” his words ended in another yelp when Nick let his grip lax just slightly, the cloth hanging precariously from his claws.

“Who has our guns?” he repeated his expression deadly.

“I…I owned the Night Howlers, I gave the guns to them.”

Nick and Honey exchanged a look but the ferret kept talking. “Hey, you know they’re basically all gone. We could team up and get rid of the rest of them. Get the guns it’d be easy. Whattya say?”

“I say oops,” Nick replied.

Travis’s confused expression quickly morphed into terror when Nick flexed his paws and gravity sent the ferret’s body off the roof and down to the cement below.

“Now what?” the fox asked, standing up and dusting his paws off on his jeans.

“What do you mean now what?” Honey demanded, “We go get our weapons back.”

“How, pray tell, do you plan on doing that? Axing the Night Howlers in the face?”

“Ha ha,” the badger said sarcastically, “If explaining to them that those are ours doesn’t work. Look, Nick, we can’t just give up on those weapons. Let’s go get ourselves a Night Howler.”

“Today’s your lucky day,” a soft voice spoke up.

The fox and badger turned around to see a small ewe appearing from the window, walking to them while holding her bleeding side.

Nick’s ears pricked as he recognized her, the queen of the Night Howlers. “Dawn Bellwether.”


	3. Cargo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we finally meet Judy!

“What are you doing here?” Dawn asked, her brow furrowed with both pain and confusion.

“Business,” Nick replied smoothly, his paws in his pockets as he rocked on his heels. He nodded to her wound, “Doesn’t look like today’s _your_ lucky day.”

“Hm, I can handle it,” Dawn replied. “Where’s Travis?”

“Currently roadkill,” Honey said bluntly.

The ewe let out an aggravated sigh, “I needed him.”

“And we need the guns he gave you,” Honey shot back. “Those weren’t his to sell. Give them back.”

“It doesn’t work like that Honey, I paid for those guns,” Dawn told her. “If you want them back you’ll have to do something for me.”

Nick rolled his eyes, “How many ration cards do you want?”

“I don’t give a damn about ration cards,” Dawn replied, “I want you to smuggle something out of Happytown for me. You do that I’ll give you your weapons and then some.”

“And how do we know you have all these weapons?” Honey asked. “You aren’t exactly thriving with the military hunting you down.”

Dawn nodded solemnly, “They are hunting us down; you’re right about that. I’ll show you the weapons but we have to go now.”

Honey looked to Nick and the fox shrugged, “Not like the axe idea was that solid.”

The two followed the sheep out of the building, across back alleys as they had to pass through more abandoned homes and stores while hiding from the soldiers that were searching for Dawn. At one point they had to go to another roof, crossing across it and several others, when Nick spotted a large explosion yards away.

“That some of yours?” he asked the sheep.

“What’s left of them,” Dawn replied sourly, barely glancing at the destruction. “Why do you think I’m turning to you two?”

“I imagine it’s because you want us to join your little cause,” Nick replied sarcastically. Between the wounded sheep and bulky badger he was the one moving the most graceful across the rooftops, even balancing on the edge.

Dawn smirked at him, “Can’t say we couldn’t use mammals like you.”

“Sadly we don’t chase fairy tales,” Nick informed her. Honey only made a grunting noise that could’ve meant anything.

Finally they reached the top of the building where Dawn was hiding out, she walked down the stairs with Nick and Honey following, reaching a door on the top floor and unlocking it.

She had only taken a few steps inside before she collapsed onto her knees, looking grey. Nick hurried into the room to help her up when a sudden weight jumped onto his back.

“Get away from her!” a voice yelled into his ear and Nick twisted to throw his attacker off. He succeeded and turned around to slash at them; teeth bared, and found himself face to face with a scowling bunny some years younger than him.

“Stop!” Dawn ordered from the floor. “Judy, they’re friends.”

The rabbit instantly backed off, her furious scowl quickly morphing into an apology, “Oh. Sorry.”

Thrown by the sudden change Nick blinked before he turned to help Dawn up while Honey walked in, having witnessed the scene with wide eyes.

“Are you okay,” the rabbit hurried over to the sheep, Nick quickly stepped back when their arms touched. “What happened?”

“I’ll be fine,” Dawn reassured her.

Nick let out an amused snort, “You Night Howlers are getting fluffier and fluffier I see.”

The rabbit gave him a look like she wasn’t sure what to make of his comment. “I-I’m not a Night Howler,” she decided on.

Dawn turned her attention to the rabbit, “I got us help, but I can’t come with you.”

The rabbit’s ears fell, “What? I can’t leave you behind, I’ll stay with you.”

“Judy,” Dawn breathed through her teeth, “This is our only chance.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Honey demanded, looking between the sheep and rabbit.

“We’re smuggling _her_?” Nick didn’t try to hide his dislike of the idea.

“Yes,” Dawn replied, leaning against a counter, “I need you to take her to the Capitol Building, I have some mammals who will take it from there.”

“That’s not exactly close,” Honey pointed out.

“You can manage,” Dawn replied.

“Hold on,” Nick stepped forward and looked to his friend, “Honey, we don’t smuggle _mammals_.”

“If she has those weapons it’ll be worth it,” the badger shot back. “Besides at least this cargo”-she indicated to the rabbit-“can walk on her own.”

Nick let out a rude snort that made the rabbit turn a glare on him. “You really think bunnies can last five seconds out there? You can’t outrun all of the infected. And firing a gun would send them flying.”

“I know how to take care of myself!” the rabbit snapped at him and Nick glanced at her with the vaguest of interest.

“Fantastic, then you can go by yourself.”

“Stop it!” Dawn snapped, her breath rasping. She needed to hurry and get her wound fixed up. “If you won’t take her then I won’t give you those weapons!”

Nick’s ears folded in annoyance while Judy turned to the ewe, “Can we even trust them?”

“I knew a good friend of his,” Dawn said. “I trust him.”

Nick narrowed his eyes at the mention of Finnick, “Was that before or _after_ Fin ditched you?”

“He left us too,” Honey reminded Nick. She turned back to Dawn, “We’ll do it once we see those guns.”

Nick opened his mouth to retort but Dawn was already speaking, “I’ll take you to our camp. You can see the weapons and I can get fixed up.”

“What should I do?” Judy asked.

“Nick’s apartment isn’t too far from here,” Honey told the rabbit. “You can go with him and wait for me.”

“Wait, _what_!?” both she and the fox said in unison.

Honey stomped over to Nick and grabbed his arm in a tight grip, fixing him with a serious glare, “Be _nice_ , Nicholas. She’s just a rabbit and we’ve both done things more dangerous than dropping some mammal off at a building. Now act your age and take her to your place, I’ll be back by dark.”

.

Nick didn’t wait for long when Honey and Dawn left. Walking briskly through the grimy streets of Happytown with the bunny hopping after him, and, to the fox’s severe annoyance, she wanted to talk.

“So I never got your name back there,” her voice was friendly but awkward.

“It’s Nick,” he replied shortly.

“Nick what?”

“Does it matter?”

Her cheeks puffed with annoyance for a short moment before she released a breath, “I know you’re not happy about this, I’m not either, but it’s not like we’re gonna be stuck with each other for long. We can at least talk to pass the time.”

“Fine,” Nick said, because despite how much he hated the fact (and he really did) he was curious. “How did you end up mixed with Dawn and her like? She said you weren’t a Night Howler.”

“Oh, well, she was a family friend,” Judy explained. “And I’ve known her since I was a little girl. I’ve been with her…for a while now.”

Nick thought about asking where the rabbit’s actual family was but decided that was too cruel. He had heard the horror stories that rabbits, because of their great number, would either be kicked out of quarantine or executed to save supplies. And in this day and age a horror story was usually a true story.

“How do _you_ know Dawn?” Judy asked, walking side by side with him with her paws behind her back. “You and that badger aren’t Night Howlers are you?”

“No, we actually have common sense,” Nick replied sarcastically. “We met her back when my “old friend” joined the Night Howlers. We’ve run into her once and a while after that.” He suddenly came to a halt and pressed himself against the wall of an old floral shop, hiding in the shadow. To her credit the rabbit was quick to do the same.

“What is it?” she breathed.

“Just some thugs,” he whispered back, watching a pack of wolves pass the street. The group was a rival smuggling team that were dumber than Travis but much more deadly and Nick wasn’t fond of chatting with them without Honey at his side.

Luck was temporarily on his side as the wolves passed back, leaving raspy laughter and crude jokes behind them. He let himself relax and walked out of the shadows, picking up his pace as he headed to his home.

“Do-do you think Dawn is going to be okay?” Judy asked out of nowhere when they reached the apartment that was their destination, a crumbling pile of bricks that was a pastel of faded oranges and reds and overgrowing vines. They had reached it just in time, storm clouds bringing the dark in swiftly.

“Probably,” Nick slipped through what was left of the revolving doors that was the entrance. “Night Howlers are as hard to kill as roaches.”

The bunny frowned to show her dislike of his joke but didn’t comment as she followed him up the creaking stairs to second floor which was as high as they could get as the stairs that led up were blocked by debris.

He opened the door to his apartment, instinctively flicking his ears to listen for anything suspicious. When all was silent except for the sprinkle of rain on the windows he nodded to himself and walked inside, after shutting the door behind the rabbit quickly claimed the one couch in the two room apartment as his own. He sprawled across it stretching until he felt his back crack and closed his eyes.

“Um…”

He popped one eye open to see the rabbit standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, naturally looking out of place. “Are you going to take a nap?”

“What do _you_ do when you lie down and close your eyes?” he quipped.

“Forget I asked,” she said, her eyes flashing with annoyance once again before taking claim to an armchair by the window.

Nick watched her study the rain for a few minutes before letting his eyes slid shut and sleep take him over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story will officially be starting now so I'll try my best to get on my A-game.
> 
> (my anxiety is acting up so working on a depressing story like a Last of Us AU isn't the easiest thing but again I'll do my best)


	4. A Complicated Miracle

A pressure knocking against his temple had Nick forcing his eyes open to see Honey looking down at him, a pack thrown over her shoulder.

"I take it you liked what you saw?" the fox asked as he pulled himself up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and stretching his muscles. He was aware of Judy in the corner of his eye, looking ready to go.

"And more," Honey said, a smirk on her muzzle and a determined glow in her eyes. It had been awhile since Nick had seen the badger so driven, at least with a task that didn't include caving someone's skull in with a bat. "Dawn's offered us double once we get back. It's the best deal we've gotten in years."

Nick stood up and looked toward the window, the rain was still going, and night had fallen. He sighed, already irritated and tired.

"The cover of nightfall and rain is our best bet past the guards," Honey pointed out. "We can slip out without anyone being any the wiser."

"I know," Nick replied. He glanced at Judy, "Can you handle it?"

"I'll do whatever I need to," she replied, straightening up and even puffing out her chest. Nick would've chuckled at her earnestness if he hadn't been a self-proclaimed bitter and cynical asshole.

So instead he rolled his eyes, made sure his gun was on the holster of his hip, grabbed the back pack Honey had waiting for him and headed out the door, the badger and rabbit following after.

Closing the door behind them all Nick could think was that he had just set himself up for way more trouble than some weapons were worth.

.

"Who exactly is waiting for us at the drop off?" Nick asked as they started on their way through the inky black streets, flashlight in paw.

"Some Night Howlers that are suppose to take her far away from her," Honey answered before glancing at the rabbit by her side, "So is there some big-wig you're related to or dating or..."

The rabbit's ears flushed, "Something like that."

The trek to the edge of the city was a slow and quiet one, avoiding the few rare fleck of light from trash fires and other flashlights. There were voices from corners and at one point they were even shot at. The bullets nearly grazing Nick as they ducked for cover and shot into the darkness (night vision wasn't worth shit in a downpour) until whoever had fired the first shot had either left or died.

They had almost made it to the sewage grate that led out of the city-when a light shined on their eyes, nearly blinding Nick who snarled. It was two soldiers, a ram and a leopard. He cursed, this part of town wasn't suppose to be as well guarded, they were suppose to slip right through.

"Get on your knees, put your paws behind your head," the ram ordered.

Nick glanced at Honey and nodded, they wouldn't be faster than these two's guns. The three obeyed, Nick's tail bristling to nearly twice its size. What fucking luck did he have.

The leopard was talking into an ear piece, Nick knew from personal experience that wasn't going to end well in his favor. He glanced again at Honey, who just looked annoyed.

The honey badger gave a lazy smile to the ram who approached her, "Turn the other way and I can make it worth your while."

"Shut up," he snapped, pulling out the small machine that Nick recognized, it was used to see if a person was infected. He pressed it against Honey's neck and it beeped happily, she was clean.

Nick looked at the rabbit as the cold metal was pressed against the back of his neck, she looked petrified. He thought of telling her to lighten up, but talking wouldn't do them any favors. And odds are she was smart to be terrified.

But then the rabbit did the unexpected:

The moment the detector was placed against her neck she moved, pulling a small knife out of her jean pocket and whirled around, fast as lightening, and stabbed the ram in the leg.

"Shit!" he hissed as the ram bleated in pain.

As the leopard turned around Nick grabbed the nail-covered bat from Honey's pack and in one smooth arc, lifted it up and brought it down on the ram's snout. The soldier fell to the ground, either dead or unconscious but Nick wasn't going to check. The leopard had lifted her gun to send a bullet through Nick's skull but Honey-despite her girth-was faster and the feline dropped to the muddy ground with a bullet in her throat.

"O-Oh!" Judy gasped, staring at the two soldiers with wide eyes, "I thought we'd just...knock them unconscious."

"Well we were kinda caught off guard," Nick snarled. "You didn't tell us you were going to stab a soldier in the fucking leg."

He was too busy glaring at the rabbit to notice Honey picking up the detector the ram had dropped. Not until she sucked in a sharp breath that had the fox snapping his head toward her.

"What's wrong?"

She wordlessly turned the detector around so he could see the screen, it flashed red: positive.

The predators turned to look at the rabbit who took a step back, "I can explain."

"Bellwether set us up," the badger stared at the screen as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Bellwether set us up." Nick stalked toward the rabbit, his claws flexing, "Sending us off with an _infected_."

"Wait, please!" Judy pulled her right sleeve back, revealing a bite on her arm, just below her wrist.

"I don't care _how_ you got infected," Nick snarled.

"This bite is three weeks old," she said and the words brought Nick to a stop.

"That's impossible," Honey turned her astonished gaze from the screen to the prey. "The infected turn after two days. Every time."

"It's been three weeks," she insisted, "You have to believe me!"

Before more could be said voices shouted from a distance, no doubt more soldiers coming to see why their comrades had radio silent.

"Let's get out of this city," Nick spoke up. "Then we'll continue this conversation."

.

They reached the other side of the grate, the end of the city, safety, in a few short minutes.The rain having ended as if to congratulate them.

The water of the grate washed out to a murky, unwelcoming river where Nick stopped at its shore. He laid his paws on his knees and caught his breath, his mind running a million miles.

"Does Bellwether know?" Honey asked between gasps, she was more winded than the other two. "That you're immune?"

Judy opened her mouth to answer but Nick cut her off, "We don't know for a fact she's immune. Rabbits have small brains, maybe the virus is having trouble finding hers."

Judy glared daggers at him, "I _am_ immune! And Bellwether did know, that's why she sent me away. The Night Howlers we're meeting up with, they are going to take me to doctors who are working to find a cure. With my help...we're going to make a vaccine."

She sounded so positive. So sure her oh-so-special DNA was going to provide a magical cure and save the world. It was that optimistic naivety that was going to get her killed, and worse, piss Nick off.

"Vaccine or no vaccine we still have to take her to the Capitol building," Honey pointed out. But the twinkle in her eyes betrayed her opinion on the subject.

"Honey, you can't be taking this seriously," Nick insisted. "You and I realized long ago that vaccines are just a wishful fantasies for children and idiots." He could feel Judy's scowl burning his pelt but ignored her.

Honey was looked at him with an expression that made him feel like a kit, like he was the one who sounded unreasonable. "One thing at a time, Nick," she decided to say. "We get Judy to that building first, and then we'll see what happens next. We play it by ear, like we always do."

Nick whirled around and stomped into the knee deep river, disgusted with both females and their belief in fairy tales that would get them all eaten alive.

 

 

 


End file.
